Most complex biological and chemical targets require the application of complementary multidimensional analysis tools and methods to compensate for target and matrix interferences. Correct analysis and separation is important to obtain reliable quantitative and qualitative information about a target. In this regard, mass spectrometers have been used extensively as detectors for various separation methods. However, until recently most spectral methods provided fragmentation patterns that were too complicated for quick and efficient analysis. The introduction of atmospheric pressure ionization (API) and matrix assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) has improved results substantially. For instance, these methods provide significantly reduced fragmentation patterns and high sensitivity for analysis of a wide variety of volatile and non-volatile compounds. The techniques have also had success on a broad based level of compounds including peptides, proteins, carbohydrates, oligosaccharides, natural products, cationic drugs, organoarsenic compounds, cyclic glucans, taxol, taxol derivatives, metalloporphyrins, porphyrins, kerogens, cyclic siloxanes, aromatic polyester dendrimers, oligodeoxynucleotides, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, polymers and lipids.
According to the MALDI method of ionization, the analyte and matrix is applied to a metal probe or target substrate. As the solvent evaporates, the analyte and matrix co-precipitate out of solution to form a solid solution of the analyte in the matrix on the target substrate. The co-precipitate is then irradiated with a short laser pulse inducing the accumulation of a large amount of energy in the co-precipitate through electronic excitation or molecular vibration of the matrix molecules. The matrix dissipates the energy by desorption, carrying along the analyte into the gaseous phase. During this desorption process, ions are formed by charge transfer between the photo-excited matrix and analyte.
Conventionally, the MALDI technique of ionization is performed using a time-of-flight analyzer, although other mass analyzers such as an ion trap, an ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer and quadrupole time-of-flight are also used. These analyzers, however, must operate under high vacuum, which among other things may limit the target throughput, reduce resolution, capture efficiency, and make testing targets more difficult and expensive to perform.
To overcome the above mentioned disadvantages in MALDI, a technique referred to as AP-MALDI has been developed. This technique employs the MALDI technique of ionization, but at atmospheric pressure. The MALDI and the AP-MALDI ionization techniques have much in common. For instance, both techniques are based on the process of pulsed laser beam desorption/ionization of a solid-state target material resulting in production of gas phase analyte molecular ions. However, the AP-MALDI ionization technique does not rely on a pressure differential between the ionization chamber and the mass spectrometer to direct the flow of ions into the inlet orifice of the mass spectrometer.
AP-MALDI can provide detection of a molecular mass up to 106 Da from a target size in the attamole range. In addition, as large groups of proteins, peptides or other compounds are being processed and analyzed by these instruments, levels of sensitivity become increasingly important. Various structural and instrument changes have been made to MALDI mass spectrometers in an effort to improve sensitivity. Additions of parts and components, however, provides for increased instrument cost. In addition, attempts have been made to improve sensitivity by altering the analyte matrix mixed with the target. These additions and changes, however, have provided limited improvements in sensitivity with added cost. More recently, the qualitative and quantitative effects of heat on performance of AP-MALDI has been studied and assessed. In particular, it is believed that the performance of an unheated (room temperature) AP-MALDI source is quite poor due to the large and varying clusters produced in the analyte ions. These large clusters are formed and stabilized by collisions at atmospheric pressure. The results of different AP-MALDI matrixes to different levels of heat have been studied. In particular, studies have focused on heating the transfer capillary near the source. These studies show some limited improvement in overall instrument sensitivity. More recently a number of improvements have been made by introducing heated gas into the ionization region. However, this has caused some problems related to mass accuracy. For instance, the mass of ions generated by the MALDI process need to be accurately determined in order to provide meaningful information to be used by subsequent database searching algorithms.
The typical mass accuracy requirements are in low parts per million. Such calibration of the mass analyzers is either done with an external reference standard or an internal reference standard. When and external reference standard is used, a calibration sample is run prior to the analysis of the sample of interest. Any drift in the mass axis calibration, between the time when the calibration sample is run and the sample of interest is run, results in inaccuracy of the mass assigned to the sample of interest. Such problem is alleviated when the calibration sample is co-mixed with the sample of interest, as both samples are analyzed simultaneously. Unfortunately, such mixing of analytical sample and the calibration sample often result in a “suppression effect” where preferential ionization of the calibration sample affects (“suppress”) the abundance of the ions of the sample of interest. To alleviate this problem, the concentration of the reference standard has to be precisely established for a given concentration of a given analytical sample, which is impractical when the concentration and the nature of the analytical sample is known.
Thus, there is a need to improve the apparatus and method for introduction of calibrant ions into conduits, ion sources and mass spectrometry systems.